Josie Gibson's profile rocketed this summer when she was drafted in to support Holly Willoughby on her return to This Morning following Phillip Schofield's dramatic exit.
Josie's now reportedly being lined-up to appear in this year's I'm A Celebrity series, which could propel her on to bigger and better things, PR expert Mark Borkowski told OK! in an exclusive chat. He said the move could be "a payback" to Josie from ITV, as the channel wants to develop talent as part of the ITV family.
The bubbly Bristolian was picked from the show's line-up of co-hosts – which includes Alison Hammond and Craig Doyle – to sit beside Holly as she delivered her emotional speech which began with the now infamous line, "Firstly, are you OK?" before going on to say that Phil's departure had left her and the whole team shaken and troubled.
“Television is very, very fast moving. You don’t sit around and wait because then you’ll become the ‘This Morning person’,” he told us. “So if ITV believes in Josie and they’re giving her the options, it’s the right time for her to break away."
The 38-year-old rose to fame after winningBig Brother in 2010, and has gone on to land roles on This Morning, Loose Women and Cooking With The Stars.
She has reportedly been at the centre of a fierce bidding war between ITV's I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, which wants her as a campmate, and the BBC, which wants to see her waltz onto the dancefloor in Strictly Come Dancing.
Mark says that given the recent boost to her profile, it would make sense for Josie to strike out on her own – but she needs to do it quickly.
“She supported Holly but she’s got a limited shelf life to prove to the world that she can do it by herself and she’s not going to just be a wingwoman for Holly.”
If she does indeed go into the jungle, Mark said she'll need to show her “authentic self” and not go in with a strategy if she wants to make the best of the opportunity.
“She got her big break in Big Brother so she’s clearly very good at reality TV,” he said. “If she was to win or do well, ITV will find her a format.”
He compared the situation to that of former X-Factor star Jake Quickenden, who was signed up to I'm A Celebrity shortly after appearing on the ITV singing contest in 2014, finishing as runner-up to Carl Foggarty.
Mark added, "Jake went into the jungle and the next thing he’s doing is presenting various formats on ITV2, and then moving onto prime-time television with The Masked Singer.
"It’s about that move to become the next big swinging talent."
While Josie's next move might raise questions about the future Josie's role with Holly, but Mark said it’s not a bad thing for the pair to have time apart, especially if Josie’s star continues to shine so brightly.
“Supporting Holly was a huge break for Josie,” he said. “Her agents will be thinking ‘how do we get something, out of Holly’s shadow, that’s Josie’s own gig?’. Josie has to jump on any opportunity and take it because in three or four weeks’ time, it might not be there – someone else might have grabbed it.”
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